Sicily's Beautiful Voice, Leah and the Mythical Monster Museum and Other Friday Things.....

I'm going to brag on two beautiful ladies tonight!

 Sicily is Anna Marie's daughter.....and Anna Marie is my soon-to-be 'Sister in Love' not only in law!

She has a beautiful voice to match her beautiful self!

Nita and I were blessed when she gave us a personal mini concert on a Kansas City sidewalk when we were there recently. What an amazing voice!

She and her brother sing duets as well as her solo performances.

Here they are singing My Prayer at a wedding recently.

Anna Marie told me the story about how Sicily was 3 year old.....and sitting in the back seat of the car singing while her mom and aunt were out doing errands.

Anna Marie didn't think much about it as Sicily was always singing......until her sister pointed out how amazing it was to hear a three-year-old sing the National Anthem word perfect and in key!

So.....Anna Marie went home and called up the Kansas City Royals and asked how do you go about singing the nathional anthem at one of their games?

They said, "You make a CD and mail it in to us. We will look at it and get back to you if we're interested." About that time, Sicily picked up the extension - you know the kind with a long curly cord?- and started singing. When she was finished, the one on the other line sitting in the office of the Kansas City Royals, asked, "How old is she??" 

"Three!" her mama said.

Then Sicily made history by becoming the youngest person to ever sing the national anthem at a Kansas City Royals game. By the time she was 5, she sang at a Kansas City Chiefs game, too!

So beautiful!!

Can you see Anna Marie doing backup with her son and daughter??

I'm telling you - she is SO much fun!!!

Sicilly is a professional in every sense of the word and was working in New York until Covid happened and she came home. Both Sicily and her brother Val, who is two years younger, are classically trained in Opera. He also joined her in singing the national anthem as a duet at the Kauffman Royal's Stadium when she was 6 and 7 and he was 4 and 5 years old.

Anna Marie has a third son who just graduated at 21 with a degree as a Mechanical Engineer and is now going for his doctorate. She has some pretty amazing children and she is certainly one PROUD mama!!! And rightly so!

One more song......

Shower the People.......

And since I am already in bragging mode.......

Photo by Frank Polgar

I saw this gorgeous photo of our darling Leah on Facebook and asked permission from the photographer to use it here tonight. 

She and husband Patrick worked the 40th Season of Scarborough Renaissance Festival this spring - as they have so many years. Both are natural performers and this has long been a passion of Leah's.

If they work next year, I am going to make sure I visit the Faire!

Louis Dean and I went once some years ago to see Leah - she is third from the left.

In fact it was 2011.

While we were there, she introduced me to the Queen!

What a beautiful lady!!

Since she loves Leah, she loves those Leah loves as well.....

and I am honored when she calls me 'Aunt Linda!

You can see why I am so impressed with Anna Marie's Sicily and my Leah!

Now to the 'Other Friday Things....'

The Bell kids are coming over tomorrow to spend the weekend with us and I shopped Aldi for all kinds of fruits, snacks, treats and things for several meals plus a high tea party!

I don't know about you but I love to look at things other people buy.....I'm all eyes when my friends post images of what's in their refrigerators or cupboards.

I saw this pic on Facebook the other day.......

This was the 'Queen', aka Shannon, and I linger long over every photo she posts!

Naturally, I zoomed in to see what all I could see!

I asked what this lovely drink was and she answered.......

Pinot Grigio with fresh lemon thyme. Nice, cool, crisp, light summer wine, went well with the food!

I don't have lemon thyme but I did go out and pick some stray herb to float on my glass of wine later that evening!

Back to my Aldi haul!

You can get a lot of bang for your buck there!

Yes, it was a tiny bit shy of $200 but my cupboards are full as is the fridge!

This chocolate brioche loaf will be served at the tea party....

and I bought a vanilla cream one just because.

After I put up all my groceries, I cleaned the guest room, vacuumed the house and cleaned both bathrooms.

I am in the middle of redoing the walls and cabinets in Louis Dean's bathroom but I stopped working and cleaned it all up since the kids will be here.

While I did my housework.......

Louis Dean was out digging yet another ditch to add more drains to carry water away from the house what with the new sump pump he put in. That man does love to dig in the dirt.

We're out in the gazebo as I write this tonight.....and I made a wine spritzer with Chardonnay, a splash of watermelon wine, and some flavored water....garnished with blackberries, an orange wedge and - in lieu of Shannon's lemon thyme - I used a sprig of freh mint.

And since it's Texas and since the mosquitoes are trying to pay attention to us, I put my drink in a Starbucks tea cup with a lid!

Plus I lit the new mosquito coil Louis Dean bought and it seems to be doing the trick.

So now it's time to say goodnight from the Chapman Gazebo!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!